The fourth installment of the one-shot series “The Horizon Experiment” hits stores in December. “The Horizon Experiment: Motherfu*kin’ Monsters” is like “Evil Dead,” but for fanatics, it’s a love letter to Sam Raimi and Edgar Wright set to a Wu-Tang Clan soundtrack.
In Motherfucking Monsters, a nerdy black kid from Brooklyn and his friends stumble upon a group of Satan-worshiping sorority boys trying to take over the world. Colorful chaos ensues as heroic JJ Henry and his family fight to stay alive and stop this grimoire-based evil from being unleashed. In this story, Holtham and Harris put black characters at the center, rather than relegating them to supporting roles and quickly dying out, as is common in horror.
The series will all be set in the popular genre and helmed by Pornsak Pichetshot, the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning creator of The Good Asian and Infidel, and will centre around original protagonists from marginalised backgrounds.
For more on The Horizon Experiment, don’t miss our chat with Pichetsshote below!
“I’m a longtime horror fan. I saw Evil Dead II in an old grindhouse in Queens and it blew me away. Of course, we all know the cliche that black people die first. I wanted to create a world where black people, black witch girls, and all kinds of black people that we don’t see thrive,” Holtham said. “I’m a black kid in an all-white college town, and that’s a horror story in itself. When Pornsak asked me to be a part of Horizon Experiment, the first thing that came to mind was black people fighting zombies. Michael Lee was a dream collaborator, pushing the gore and the cool and bringing all the blackness to the page. I can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve created.”
Writer: J. Holtham
Artist: Michael Lee Harris
Cover: Harris, Tula Lotai
Release date: December 18, 2024
For more information about the series, read the press release below.
Portland, Oregon, September XX, 2024 — J. Holtham, renowned African-American playwright, comics artist (EC Comics’ “Epitaphs From the Abyss” and Marvel’s “Bishop” and “Night Thrasher”), and television writer and producer (co-executive producer and writer of the Emmy Award-winning show “The Handmaid’s Tale”), is teaming up with renowned African-American comics artist Michael Lee Harris (creator of “Black Hitler” and “Choco Leche”) to create “The Horizon Experiment: Motherfu*kin’ Monsters,” the fourth installment in the Horizon Experiment one-shot series, which will launch this December. The series will center on an original protagonist from a marginalized background, set in a popular genre helmed by Pornsak Pichetshot, the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning creator of “The Good Asian” and “Infidel.”
Holtham’s first creator-owned comic and Harris’ first Image Comics project, The Horizon Experiment: Motherfu*kin’ Monsters is like a breeder’s version of Evil Dead and a love letter to Sam Raimi and Edgar Wright set to a Wu-Tang Clan soundtrack. Fans of Bitter Root and Chew will enjoy this meta horror-comedy packed with jokes and gore. Featuring dynamic lettering by Micah Myers, Motherfu*kin’ Monsters is co-edited by Pichetshott and award-winning editor Will Dennis (SOMNA: A Bedtime Story, Gideon Falls). In Motherfu*kin’ Monsters, a nerdy black kid from Brooklyn and his friends encounter a bunch of assholes from a Satan-worshiping frat house trying to take over the world. Colorful chaos ensues. As the so-called hero, JJ Henry, and his family fight to survive and stop this grimoire-based evil from being unleashed, Holtham and Harris center their black characters in this story, rather than relegating them to supporting roles and having them die quickly, as is common in horror.
“I’m a longtime horror fan. I saw Evil Dead II in an old grindhouse in Queens and it blew me away. Of course, we all know the cliche that black people die first. I wanted to create a world where black people, black witch girls, and all kinds of black people that we don’t see thrive,” Holtham said. “I’m a black kid in an all-white college town, and that’s a horror story in itself. When Pornsak asked me to be a part of Horizon Experiment, the first thing that came to mind was black people fighting zombies. Michael Lee was a dream collaborator, pushing the gore and the cool and bringing all the blackness to the page. I can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve created.”
“I never realized how much I needed Motherfu*kin’ Monsters in my life,” said Harris. “It’s rare to see fun horror from this perspective, so I’m so happy to be a part of it! J wrote a unique story that got me bloody, and I can’t wait for everyone to read it!”
“Motherfu*kin’ Monsters has a different look and feel than any comic I’ve ever read, because J. and Michael Lee have voices that are different from anyone else working in comics,” Pichechot said. “J. is a successful playwright, screenwriter and TV producer, so it’s exciting to see him take on a comic, and what Michael Lee is doing with Motherfu*kin’ Monsters is something I’ve never seen before. His grip on the medium is so unique, so I’m excited to see what he and J. can do together.”
As with other titles from The Horizon Experiment, this one-shot serves as a pilot for a creator-owned series that may continue if demand dictates. In addition to the original cover by Harris, the issue features a variant cover by Eisner Award-winning artist Tula Lotai (SOMNA: A Bedtime Story, Barnstormers: A Ballad of Love and Murder), part of a series of variant covers shared across all five of The Horizon Experiment’s one-shots.
The Horizon Experiment series kicks off on September 25th with “The Manchurian,” written by Pichechot and illustrated by superstar artists Terry and Rachel Dodson (Adventureman, Harley Quinn), featuring a James Bond-inspired Chinese super spy. Upcoming issues include Islamic exorcism horror “The Sacred Damned” (by Sabir Pirzada and Michael Walsh), East African werewolf horror “Moon Dogs” (by Tananarive Dew and Kelsey Ramsey), and “reverse Indiana Jones” action adventure “Finders/Keepers” (by Vita Ayala and Skylar Patridge). Five issues will be released monthly.
The Horizon Experiment: Motherfu*kin’ Monsters #1 will be available in comic book stores on Wednesday, December 18th.
Cover A Michael Lee Harris – Moon Codes to be released at a later date Cover B Tula Lotai (Connecting) – Moon Codes to be released at a later date Cover C Tula Lotai (1:25 Foil Incentive, Connecting) – Moon Codes to be released at a later date
The Horizon Experiment: Motherfu*kin’ Monsters #1 is also available on many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.
